Preparing Modern Families for the Future With Play

Welcome to Techno Sapiens! I'm Jacqueline Nesi, a psychologist and professor at Brown University, co-founder of Tech Without Tension, and mama of two young kids. If you like Techno Sapiens, please consider sharing it with a buddy today. Thanks for your support! Hi there, sapiens. I understand it's had to do with 7 years given that recently's post, but you may remember I raised concerns about completion of Daytime Saving Time and upcoming winter.

More specifically: how to do that in between 4pm and bedtime, when it is dark and cold (at least where I live). Well, I am happy to report that since that time, I have actually done what any reasonable person would do and approached this question with the rigor and intensity of an NIH-funded research task.

I searched the Web, consisting of Reddit threads like this one and this one. I did some pilot testing in my own home. And now, I'm prepared to share the outcomes with all of you. My criteria for this list of activities were as follows: This list skews toward the young child and preschool age range, however numerous activities would work with slightly older kids, too.

Let me be clear: there's absolutely nothing naturally wrong with screens! In fact, those dark, cold, pre-bedtime hours, when we're also trying to prep supper, finish work, or just make it through the day, can be great for screen time. I, personally, invest most of my workdays looking at a laptop computer, so when I'm not working, I'm often seeking to do something less screen-heavy with my kids.

Nurturing Creative Expression Through Art

Okay, let's get to it! No matter the weather, the darkness, the kids' protests: just get outside.

, which lights up in various colors. My kids lost their minds. Learn from my experience, and avoid Amazon "reflective" vests that are in fact just strips of gray material.

For yourself and your kids, as required. You can make this more interesting by turning it into a scavenger hunt for things like holiday lights or specific trees or animals.

Head to a local park, play ground, open field, beach, empty car park, or other available spaceIf you have a garage, clear it out and turn it into an "open fitness center" with toys, hula hoops, bikes, etc. If you have a patio or deck, ensure it is safe and secure and put some toys out there.

For cooking area activities, it can assist to have a standing tower or stool of some kind (we have this one). Have your kid "help" make dinner. Get a plastic cutting board and cheap young child knife, and provide them something soft to slice (my kids like "chopping" fruit and cheese, mostly because they enjoy eating giant mouthfuls of fruit and cheese).

Essential Guidance Tips for 2026

Pack their school lunches together. Scavenger hunt around the house to select up laundry to put it in the basket, or garbage to put in a bag. There are plenty of other, totally free options, too (see listed below).

Check regional gymnastics and other "kid health clubs" for classes or open health club time. YMCAs and other local leisure centers might use lessons or open swim. We, unsurprisingly, love an excellent science museum., including pottery painting and other crafting. Remember bowling? Note: the American Academy of Pediatrics states these are dangerousand based on injury rates, they're most likely rightso continue with caution.i.e., those places with indoor play devices and, usually, plastic balls covering the ground.

There are both indoor and outside versions of these, and a surprising number of them out there. Much better for older kids. Much better for older kids. One of my favorite winter or rainy day activities is to toss the kids in the car and take them on an "adventure" (i.e., to stroll around somewhere I desire to go). Combine with a comfortable reading session when you get home.

Put them in charge of selecting out a couple of products on the list. See likewise: thrift shops and other odds-and-ends stores., like REI and Bass Pro Shops.

Produce a fort or play area with couch cushions, blankets, pillows, etc. If you have an additional crib bed mattress or workout mat, get these involved, too.

Unique Child-Friendly Adventures for Adventurous Parents

A classic! Walkie talkies can be enjoyable here, too.

A good surface for jumping. Great for pretend campfires and sleepovers with stuffed animals. My toddler once saw a video of Irish step dancing and the rest is history. Lots of at-home items will work for this: pillows or towels to leap over, tape on the flooring as a "balance beam," etc.

Anything soft or round, integrated with any vessel (clothes hamper, trash bin, a corner of the space), works wonders. Go looking for items of a particular enter your house (e.g., anything red, things that begin with the letter "c") My kids enjoy these things. We do not have a great deal of space, so my 3-year-old just does repeated quick laps around your home until he gets lightheaded.

Repurpose those giant Amazon boxes! Cut a big hole in it to develop a puppet theater. Socks, paper bags, and packed animals all make excellent puppets. Or, if your kids are Bluey fans, "keepy uppy."I generally let my other half handle this one. A few of my kids' favorites: "spins" (kids lie face-up on the ground, you spin them), "tosses" (you toss them in the air), wrestling (I recently heard my son request a "single leg takedown"), tickling.

Unique Interactive Adventures for Modern Explorers

Collect some supplies, and let them go wild. A couple of useful items: Paper (building and construction paper and huge rolls or coloring posters), kid scissors, popsicle sticks, felt, pipeline cleaners, pompoms, glue sticks, tape, washable paint, markers, crayons, colored pencils, and things to paint that are not paper (e.g., cardboard boxes, tubes, rocks, pinecones, etc)A few craft concepts that feel manageable: Paper airplanes (you can likewise make a target to throw them at)Popsicle stick "bookmarks"Postcards.